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Human Radiance

By GuruPrem Singh

I believe that radiance is best described as "hue-man"—a life filled with the divine light, glowing, beaming and bright. Real and lasting radiance comes from deep within and mostly shines out to the world through the eyes, the skin and the smile. This becomes the 10th/ Radiant body, the carrier of the aura, arc-line and electromagnetic field.

I have experienced and seen radiance in the old, young, in those near death, and in the disfigured. I have also seen the opposite, physically very beautiful people with little true radiance!

How do we cultivate radiance?

To start, we are all born with an aura of radiant light defining our innocence. Babies are innocent. They radiate and shine so completely that we are compelled to pick them up and hold them, basking in their radiance. It feels that if we bring that light close, it will radiate and transfer into and through us!

As an infant grows they begin to develop an identity, an ego, their unique personality. This carries with it traits developed and inherited. As we grow, we gain knowledge, intelligence and experience, and unless we are walking towards our true self, our Sat Nam, we start identifying with our body and our mind as the source of truth. The more we mistake this physical and mental form as true, the denser we become and the less our inner light can shine.

So often as we learn to take what we need and want, we do so at the expense of our character values and virtues. This lost innocence dims the light of the soul and our psyche reflects the darkened relationship to the world within and without. Feelings of fear, anger, greed, attachment and the pursuits of short term gratifications dull our radiance.

Over time as we live for the short term benefits of the ego, emotions and feelings, building layers of unnecessary tension throughout our bodies, we develop an unconscious fight against gravity. This unnecessary tension alters our form from a being of radiant beauty to a being of distortion and shadows blocking the light of the divine. These shadows are referred to as 'shadow hearts', they are called the: dark, cruel, mean, cold, hard and cheating hearts.

My teacher, Yogi Bhajan said, "Relaxation is the highest form of wisdom." To relax is to release unnecessary tension so you can feel the hand of God guide you. This wisdom is the recognition of what you do not need, and letting it go, so you can listen deeply and act courageously. Living courageously helps us move from a life of fear to a life of radiance.

In the books The Heart Rules and Divine Alignment, we show ways to recognize the patterns of unnecessary tension that block or limit our radiance. One can learn how to create sacred alignments that support our true self, as well as meditations to give the hearts of virtue (good, kind, sweet, brave, sacred, light, bright, true and pure hearts) an opportunity to radiate.

To allow our radiance to shine and grow, we must recognize that innocence is our greatest treasure. We can reclaim our innocence, when we value the virtues and the character that comes with it. This becomes our path to piety and purity. Humans tend bow to what they value. If you bow to the temporary, i.e. material possessions, then your hearts will darken along with your radiant light. If, on the other hand, you bow to the source of your character values, your true hearts will shine in radiant glory. This is because innocence is part of the purity of our soul, and therefore we must start to re-connect and relate to our soul.

In the last line of Japji by Guru Nanak he sings: "Those who dwell on God’s name and know they belong to God, depart after working by the sweat of their brow. Radiant are their faces and they bring many others along."

Guru Nanak gives a formula for being radiant: Dwell on God’s Name. Remember where you have come from and where you will ultimately return. Earn your living honestly. Share what you have with others. You will be radiant. You’ll gain liberation for yourself and others!

The more we live by the call of the soul, the thinner our ego covering becomes and the brighter our soul light shines!